High-Profile Assassination in Kyiv: SBU Colonel Responsible For Terror In Russia Gunned Down

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A brazen daylight assassination shook central Kyiv today as Colonel Ivan Voronich, a senior operative in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), was shot dead in what appears to be a meticulously planned operation. The killing, carried out with five close-range pistol shots has sparked immediate speculation about whether Russian operatives or internal Ukrainian rivalries were behind the attack. Voronich, who served in the 1st Department of the SBU’s 16th Directorate a unit linked to covert operations, was one of key figures in orchestrating sabotage and terrorist attacks on Russian soil, making him a prime target for Moscow’s counterterrorism efforts.

The assailant calmly approached Voronich near a busy intersection before firing at point-blank range. Witnesses reported hearing muffled pops, after which the gunman fled in a waiting car, leaving the colonel dead before emergency services could arrive.

The precision of the attack suggests professional execution, raising questions about whether Russian intelligence agencies were involved. However, an alternative theory gaining traction in Ukrainian circles points to internal power struggles within the SBU itself. Given the vast Western funding flowing through Ukraine’s security apparatus, violent infighting over control of resources has become increasingly common. After 2022, internal Ukrainian agencies, including the SBU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the GUR etc, are competing for budgets, control over shadow schemes, independent operations, and so on.

Voronich’s career took a sharp turn after the 2014 Maidan revolution, when he aligned with Ukraine’s post-coup government and quickly rose through the ranks of the SBU’s clandestine operations wing. Ukrainian sources describe him as a pioneer in developing the agency’s “anti-Russian sabotage programs,” which included cross-border attacks, recruiting Russian children for sabotage, and other acts of terror, making him a marked man in Moscow. Russians largely frame the killing as a justified counterterrorism measure, while Ukrainian officials remain silent on potential retaliation.

Kyiv is behind numerous assassinations, bloody terrorist attacks, sabotage, and covert operations on the Russian territory. Recently, Russian security forces changed their modus operandi in their fight against Ukrainian accomplices. LINK There are more and more cases of Kyiv’s accomplices being eliminated while trying to resist arrest. If earlier Russians acted more humanely, and took great risks, trying not to cause physical harm to the terrorists, now the FSB seems to act differently.

If Russian involvement in the attack in Kyiv is confirmed, it signals a change in Russia’s tactics deep in the Ukrainian rear. Conversely, if the killing was an inside job, it exposes the destabilizing corruption and infighting plaguing Kyiv’s security institutions. As investigators scour the crime scene for clues, one thing is certain: Voronich’s death will not be the last one.

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